3D printing construction in Hong Kong : development, applications, drivers, barriers, and outlook

Abstract

Since the past decade, 3D printing construction has gained a lot of attention from construction sectors worldwide. This new technology brings a completely different construction method in front of us and is said to revolutionize the whole construction industry in the future. There have been projects carried out with this technology in Europe, the US, China, Singapore, etc. Yet, Hong Kong is not on the list of regions proactively implementing the technology. In this research, the development, applications, driver, barriers, and outlook of 3D printing construction in Hong Kong were studied mainly through primary data collection methods namely interviews and written responses. The global context of the above-mentioned aspects of the technology was also researched by conducting a literature review and was used for comparison with the Hong Kong situation. In the discussion part, information collection via literature review and primary data collection methods was summarized and compared. This clearly illustrated the situation of Hong Kong on the topic of 3D printing construction as compared with the global scenario. The development, applications, drivers, barriers, and future outlook of the topic were all discussed. There were some major findings in the result of the study. The development of 3D printing construction in Hong Kong was found to be slow in comparison with other countries with mature construction industries. Results also showed that the applications of the technology in Hong Kong were relatively limited in scale and quantity. With mostly identical drivers found across the world, including a reduction in time, costs, material wastage, and labor, thus greater sustainability in the construction process, and the freedom to create elements with new geometrical shapes, there were region-specific barriers discovered for Hong Kong in which the conservative attitude of the government posed the greatest barrier. Despite the fact that 3D printing construction had yet been thriving in Hong Kong, it was generally believed that the technology would experience tremendous growth globally, and the successful cases in other countries such as China and Singapore would eventually influence and promote the use of such technology in Hong Kong. The research contributes to the existing knowledge by enhancing the comprehension of 3D printing technology in construction among both local construction professionals and the government. It is hoped that this study will raise awareness of such technology in Hong Kong and make a little step in stimulating its development.